Air traffic controllers in talks bid to avert strike
The two sides met in Shannon yesterday for three hours of negotiations, which concluded without agreement. If the strike goes ahead on September 15, it will lead to a total shutdown of flights in and out of Ireland’s airports.
“Everything is still on the table and nothing has been resolved yet. There will be more negotiations on Tuesday,” Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) spokeswoman Lilian Cassin said.
The dispute centres on the failure of the IAA to provide jobs for 22 student controllers which cost it €1.2 million to train. It said there are no jobs for the student controllers in Cork, Dublin or Shannon airports, blaming the downturn in the aviation industry in the wake of September 11.
However, IMPACT, the union which represents air traffic controllers, has threatened to strike unless the students are employed by September 15, the day on which they graduate.
Around 86% of members have voted to take industrial action if the IAA dismisses the newly-qualified controllers.
They have been put on extended leave while the firm attempts to negotiate contracts for six of them in South Africa.
If all-out strike action goes ahead, flights will be unable to depart from or land at any Irish airports and transit traffic will be unable to pass through Irish airspace. Aircraft will not be allowed come within 25 miles of the country’s east coast and within 250 miles of the west coast.
